My Tools #1: A very Robert Sorby birthday

Everyone’s going to hate me for this, but I just fell – not literally – into a lot of new Robert Sorby turning tools. The 18th (3 days ago) was my 32 birthday (for you programmers, that’s 100000 in binary – I no longer fit in 5 bits!). Mom sent me a box of Rockler goodies from my wishlist. In typical (for my mom) fashion, she overdid the gift-giving. She’s always been very supportive of my endeavors. Thanks, mom! I’ll have to make her several nice things now to try to repay her a bit. I’ve got a lot of new stuff to try out! Hopefully I have a lot of new, or enhanced abilities now, as well.

The exciting moment:

The even more exciting moment:

One of the things I was most excited about was the Sorby Sandmaster, a circular foam sponge on a bearing to which you attach velcro sanding discs of varying grits:

This should make bowl sanding, and exterior vase and hollow-form sanding much more enjoyable, and less burny. She also got me 10-packs of 4 replaceable grit pad levels (60, 180, 240, 400):

She also got me 3 of the Sorby Spindlemasters. Here’s where I made a mistake. I put the 1/2” on my list, but I have, and have been continuously using the 1/2” already. I kept thinking I had the 1/4”. If I’d thought a bit more about it, I’d have realized. I’ll be returning that one to the store, and picking up another tool. There are 3 left on my wishlist (she really cleaned that list out!)...

And this Sorby hollowing kit with 3 different replaceable heads, great for small cups, vases, and hollow-forms:

The [unexpectedly] largest of the tools was the Sorby Hollowmaster. This will finally let me try getting up under the lip of my turnings, which opens the doors to hollow-form turnings, something I’ve been a bit eager to try! This thing must be over 2’ long. It has a replaceable tip, and comes with a pointy one installed, and a circular smoothing disc:

And just for a little color, she got me a pack of the new Rockler Bench Cookies, which steadily hold projects up off the table such that they may be finished, or even chiseled and routed without clamping:

I’ve got my wor… play cut out for me! Mom just propelled me so much farther forward in my woodworking goals than I imagined for myself by this point. It’s strange to look at the remaining wishlist items and see the pile so diminished. I mean, it’s still ridiculous – large battery charger, cabinet belt/disc sander, new miter saw, bigger, gas-powered chainsaw, replacement ROS, alaskan mill, hollow-chisel mortiser, bigger lathe, better 18” band saw (hoping for cast iron one day, instead of thin steel), and on and on, but still, this was like she took a shotgun to one big chunk of the list, especially in the turning category.

what a great mom you have…..my birthday gifts from my mom stopped around when i was 20…....so if your mom wants to help me feel loved again and make up the 32 years ive missed…..ill chop some wood…...ill even cook for her…...let me know when to send my mailing address….grizman